Before she became a relentless sex kitten in the 1990s, Janet Jackson had much more innocent things on her mind. On "Escapade," the third single from her masterpiece, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, she's just a girl who wants to have a good time and leave her worries behind. Though already in her early 20s at the time, Jackson's still got a youthful giddiness and perky charm about her that's impossible to resist, especially when she lets her falsetto loose on the blissful bridge. As with so many of her classic collaborations with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song probably goes on too long for its own good, but the production is full of so many interesting layers that it mostly manages to sustain itself. And when Janet Jackson commands, "Let's go!," you join in the celebration. B+
22 years ago this week, "Escapade" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.
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